THE ROMAN FORUM PROJECT:

  an exploration of the American political spectacle



  a performance event created by Antoinette LaFarge + Robert Allen

March 2003		 Performed in a series of vivid sketches at the Beall Center for Art and Technology in March 2003, The Roman Forum Project examined the American scene since the postelection crisis of 2000. Closing just a few days before the war with Iraq began, it was a timely critique of the prolonged crisis in American politics and the nation's vision of itself and its role in the world.

The project drew on five Roman characters from the 1st century C.E., a time when Rome's republican government was under great strain from the stresses of building and maintaining a large empire. Ranging from a Roman empress to a barbarian slave, these voices from the early Roman empire spoke directly to America's double role as democracy and international superpower.

the will of the people pic
As an ensemble work designed for non-traditional spaces, The Roman Forum Project was a kind of "media commedia" melding Internet technologies, video projections, and classical Greek and Roman theatrical traditions. Scenes included monologues and multi-player situations ranging from purely actor-based performances to technologically mediated spectacle. Every performance was streamed live to the web, and a cast of online performers took part in the piece via the Internet. A streaming video of the last performance is permanently archived on this site.

the will of the people pic
With costume and mask work, parody of well-known political figures, and referencing of current events to make the piece broadly accessible, The Roman Forum Project probed our shared fears, hopes, and confusion over the public events that shape our lives. It addressed, among other things, the varied ways in which our political life is managed through the use and abuse of mass media, and the ways in which this is changing with the advent of the Internet.



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 A preview of The Roman Forum Project 2003, entitled Virtual Live, was staged in January 2002 at Location One Gallery, New York. The Roman Forum Project 2003 is a sequel to The Roman Forum 2000, a performance work at Side Street Live, Los Angeles, that focused on the 2000 presidential campaign.



PRESS RELEASE

ANCIENT ROME SETS THE STAGE FOR A UNIQUE LOOK AT WAR, POLITICS AND PRESIDENTIAL POWER

UCI's Beall Center Mixes Nero with Performance Art for a Multimedia Dialogue of Current Events

Irvine, Calif., February 25, 2002 - With ancient Rome as the backdrop, an upcoming performance art piece at UC Irvine's Beall Center for Art and Technology will offer a timely view of American politics, including a lively - if untraditional - dialogue on the current issues affecting the nation.

Debuting March 6, "The Roman Forum Project> an exploration of the American political spectacle" offers a potent critique of American issues by drawing on characters and perspectives from the 1st century reign of Roman Emperor Nero - a period renowned for great political and civil unrest.

"It's a serious mixed reality piece that often has dark comic overtones," said Antoinette LaFarge, UCI assistant professor of digital media at the Claire Trevor School of the Arts and the project co-creator. "It is meant to probe our unease over the affairs currently shaping our lives, and to expose ambiguity rather than draw simple conclusions."

Portraying characters ranging from a Roman empress to a barbarian slave, five actors parody well-known political figures while performing in costumes and white masks that partially resemble Roman busts. Five other actors will join in the dialogue via the Internet. These on-line performers will be spread across several time zones, and their textual performances will appear as a steamed projection.

The result is a multimedia presentation in keeping with the Beall Center's mission of melding technology and art ­ a mission enhanced by the design of the production, which uses non-traditional space to combine live performance, pre-recorded video and streamed projections. Raised platforms are located in each corner of the room with 15 scenes coming to life at different times in order to engage and redirect the audience's movement.

"I call this kind of production media commedia," said LaFarge. "It creates a stage for a lively, comic but critical dialogue, then sets it in motion using the real space of the center and the virtual space of the Internet."

"The Roman Forum" is a sequel to the 2000 performance in Los Angeles that focused on the then current presidential campaign. Both programs are a collaboration between LaFarge and Robert Allen, theater arts faculty member at California State University, Long Beach.

Performances are scheduled for 8 p.m. March 6-7 and 13-14, and 2 p.m. March 8 and 15. A special post-performance discussion will follow the 8 p.m. presentation on Wed., March 12. Admission is free but space is limited; please call (949) 824-6206 for reservations.

For further project details and a sound clip from the performance visit http://yin.arts.uci.edu/~players/RF2.

The Donald R. and Joan F. Beall Center for Art and Technology is a research and exhibition center that explores new relationships between the arts, sciences and engineering, promoting new forms of creation and expression using digital technologies. For more information visit http://beallcenter.uci.edu.

A preview of "The Roman Forum Project", entitled "Virtual Live," was staged in January 2002 at Location One Gallery, New York. "The Roman Forum Project" is a sequel to an earlier work by LaFarge + Allen, "The Roman Forum", a performance work at Side Street Live, Los Angeles, that focused on the 2000 presidential campaign.

Antoinette LaFarge, Asst. Prof. of Digital Media, Studio Art Dept., UCI, is co-creator, lead scriptwriter, and developer of visual materials.

Robert Allen, Head of Movement, Theater Arts Dept., California State University, Long Beach is co-creator and stage director.